Lemongrass Salmon En Papillote

Chef Danny Douglas once cooked a meal for a few of us at writer George Yatchisin’s home, revealing to all the bulletproof technique of cooking fish in parchment paper. Even if you think you’re about to overcook — which, for the record, he did not — the trapped moisture ensures that fish of all types stays fluffy while also concentrating the chosen seasonings in a delicate way. The hardest part is waiting patiently, as I’ve found it often takes a bit longer than you’d expect. In this case, I slapped butter down on the paper, laid down an inch-thick piece of wild salmon, and topped it with sliced lemongrass, lemons, chives, and extra chunks of butter on top. Even after 25-plus minutes at 350 degrees — slow and low is another Douglas technique — the fish was tender and flavorful as could be. See dannydouglascatering.com.